Thursday, November 19, 2009

Log in the Eye!

“Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; and because of pride they are puffed up.” 2 Nephi 28:12
The 28th chapter of Second Nephi is quite an ironic one from the Christians perspective. It goes into great detail chastising churches for I suppose many of the things Joseph Smith thought was wrong with the churches of his day. It is a very Campbelite sort of chapter. The denominational churches hear this sort of thing, not only from Mormon’s but the so called “nondenominational” movement: i.e. the denominations known as Calvary Chapel, or the arrogantly named “Church of Christ.” And whenever I hear these complaints, unfounded as they are, or read them as here in 2nd Nephi, I am left thinking of Romans chapter 2.
“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. [2] We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who do such things. [3] Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? [4] Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? [5] But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.” (Romans 2:1-5 (ESV)
One should be going about determining the falsity of a teacher, based on what they teach, their doctrine, and whether or not it agrees with the word of God as we have it in the Bible. Of course the Mormons have opted to test the truth of their doctrine instead by whether or not it sets their bosom on fire. They never stop to consider that many other religions claim these same sorts of mystical experiences, and their doctrines all conflict with each other. Emotions are quite fickle. If I thought it was true love every time a woman made my liver shiver, I think I would be in great trouble with my wife. I’ve learned in life not to be a slave to my emotions. God gave us brains, he does expect us to use them a little. Also it is just a bit unseemly to watch a bunch of grown men gushing like teenage girls about some feeling they had at one time. That sort of effeminate behavior kept me away from Promise Keepers too. I agree with Ecclesiasties that there is a time to cry, but cowboy up already.
All that aside, this verse seems to imply that pride is the source of their corruption. This is where the irony is seen by us gentiles. I don’t think I have ever seen a religious body as full of pride as the LDS. For those of you in the LDS, realize this, your pride is insufferable! Now I have had to swallow some bitter pills in regards to positions my church had taken officially. At times I see the leadership of my synod and cringe. I accept that we are all sinners, and that some of us in the name of the church have done some very stupid things, and bad things even. But I have never seen that sort of repentant behavior in the LDS. If you deign to criticize this body, or Joseph Smith, some doctrine they adhere to, or the current prophet, you are immediately labeled a Mormon Basher. If you appeal to the Bible, they supposedly believe in along with the Book of Mormon, they call you a Bible thumper. They will tolerate no criticism of their “Church.”
Meanwhile, living here in Utah, you are barraged with the LDS this, and the LDS that everywhere you turn. They have somewhere around four to five Television channels that pump their pride throughout the ether of Utah, documentary after documentary chronicling how great their church is, and denying any connection to anything that might be scandalous, like the Mountain Meadow Massacre. If the amount of pride is some sort of barometer of truth, then one should probably be running from the LDS. It is enough to make the rest of us living here in Utah puke, and choke for air.

3 comments:

Jonathan said...

But, according to Wikip, the Mormons did put up a monument to the massacre in 1999. I assume as an act of contrition?

Bror Erickson said...

They still deny that it was ordered and brought about by the church, claiming that at best it was just a few bad apples acting on their own accord.

Steve Martin said...

Pride.

Whenever I speak to a Mormon,I am taken with how good thet really believe that they are.

I have yet to meet one (maybe they are out there) that admits he is incapable of keeping the Commandments as Jesus told us they are to be kept..."perfectly".

They all seem to think that they are doing quite a nice job of it.

If that's not pride, then I don't know what is.